Nutrition Diet: What is the most unhealthy alcoholic beverage?

October 5, 2025 •

4 min read

A single Long Island Iced Tea can pack as many as 780 calories, making it a prime contender for the title of what is the most unhealthy alcoholic beverage when considering diet. However, pinpointing the single worst drink is complex, as different beverages pose various health risks beyond just caloric load.

Quick Summary

The most unhealthy alcoholic drink depends on criteria like calories, sugar, and alcohol content. Super-sugary cocktails and high-proof spirits are particularly harmful, affecting weight, liver health, and overall well-being. Additives and mixers further increase a drink's negative health impact.

Key Points

High-Sugar Cocktails: Drinks like Long Island Iced Tea and Pina Coladas are calorie and sugar bombs, contributing significantly to weight gain.
High-Proof Spirits: Concentrated alcohols such as Everclear and moonshine pose the greatest immediate danger to organs, especially the liver.
Congeners in Dark Liquors: Dark-colored spirits like whiskey contain byproducts called congeners that can lead to worse hangovers and have been linked to aging.
Sugary Mixers: Using regular soda, tonic water, or high-sugar juices with spirits turns a potentially low-calorie drink into an unhealthy, high-sugar one.
No Safe Level of Alcohol: Experts agree that all alcohol consumption carries health risks, with a direct correlation between the amount consumed and the level of harm.

Determining the single 'most unhealthy' alcoholic beverage is challenging because the answer depends on the criteria: calories, sugar content, alcohol by volume (ABV), or toxic byproducts. Health experts from sources like the World Health Organization emphasize that no level of alcohol consumption is safe due to its toxic and carcinogenic nature. However, by analyzing common drinks based on their ingredients and composition, we can identify which ones carry the highest risk in different categories.

Caloric and Sugar Bombs: The Worst for Your Waistline

Many of the unhealthiest alcoholic beverages are not pure spirits but rather complex cocktails loaded with sugar and calories. These drinks combine high-sugar mixers with multiple types of alcohol, creating a recipe for weight gain and blood sugar spikes.

Long Island Iced Tea: A notorious offender, combining vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and triple sec with a sweet and sour mix and a splash of soda. A single glass can contain up to 780 calories.
Margarita: Premade margarita mixes are often loaded with sugar, leading to a cocktail that can contain around 740 calories and wreak havoc on blood sugar.
Pina Colada: Made with creamy coconut and pineapple juice, a pina colada can have 644 calories and is riddled with sugar and saturated fat.
White Russian: A combination of vodka, coffee liqueur, and heavy cream, this dessert-like drink is high in both sugar and fat, packing around 425 calories.

These beverages are especially harmful because the empty calories are often overlooked. The body prioritizes metabolizing alcohol, leading to the sugar being stored as fat.

High-Proof Spirits: A Direct Threat to Your Liver

While sugary cocktails pose a dietary risk, high-proof spirits are particularly dangerous for liver health due to their concentrated ethanol content. High ABV overwhelms the liver's ability to process alcohol efficiently, producing a toxic byproduct called acetaldehyde that damages liver cells and causes inflammation.

Everclear: A grain alcohol with an astonishing 95% ABV (190 proof), Everclear is one of the most concentrated and dangerous forms of alcohol. Even small amounts can lead to extreme intoxication, rapid dehydration, and organ damage.
Moonshine and Illicit Spirits: These unregulated beverages can have extremely high alcohol concentrations and may contain dangerous impurities from unsafe production methods, sometimes leading to methanol poisoning or blindness.

The Role of Congeners and Additives

Beyond just calories and ABV, other components in alcoholic drinks can make them more or less unhealthy. Congeners are chemical compounds produced during fermentation and aging that give drinks their color, aroma, and flavor. Darker liquors tend to have higher congener levels.

Darker Liquors: Rum, whiskey, and bourbon contain more congeners than clear spirits like vodka or gin. This can worsen hangover symptoms and may contribute to aging effects.
Premixed Drinks (Alcopops): Packaged drinks like Smirnoff Ice or hard lemonades are extremely high in sugar and artificial colors.
Tonic Water: Many mistakenly believe a gin and tonic is a low-calorie choice, but tonic water is often loaded with sugar, significantly increasing the total caloric and carbohydrate count. Using diet mixers or club soda is a healthier alternative.

What Makes a Drink Unhealthy?

The unhealthiness of a beverage is a combination of factors. The below table compares several drink types across key metrics.


Drink Type	Primary Harmful Factor(s)	Example Drinks	Typical Calories (per serving)	Typical Sugar (per serving)
High-Sugar Cocktail	Excessive sugar, high calories	Long Island Iced Tea, Pina Colada, Margarita	600-780	30-90g+
High-Proof Spirit	High alcohol concentration, toxicity	Everclear, Moonshine	Varies, high density	Minimal to none
Dark Liquor	Congeners (hangover severity), empty calories	Whiskey, Rum, Bourbon	100-120 per shot	Minimal to none
Beer	Carbohydrates, empty calories	Craft IPAs, Regular Lager	150-200+	10-25g+
Wine	Sugar (in sweet varieties), empty calories	Dessert wine, Sangria	120-180 (per 5oz)	Varies, can be high

The Conclusion: It's Not About One Drink

While high-sugar cocktails and highly concentrated spirits are often cited as the most unhealthy, the truth is that all alcohol carries health risks. High-calorie, sugary cocktails are detrimental to your diet and weight, while high-proof spirits are particularly damaging to your liver. Dark liquors have higher levels of congeners, potentially leading to worse hangovers and side effects. Even low-sugar options, when consumed excessively, can harm health. For overall health, moderation is key, and the healthiest choice is to minimize alcohol intake entirely.

For more information on the health effects of alcohol, consider reviewing the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's resources.

Healthier Drinking Alternatives

For those who choose to drink, healthier options exist. Opt for clear spirits like vodka, gin, or tequila mixed with zero-calorie mixers like soda water and a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon. Dry wines also contain less sugar than their sweeter counterparts. Light beers are lower in calories and carbs than heavier craft beers. The best advice is always to be mindful of serving sizes and avoid consuming alcohol on an empty stomach.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answer depends on the type. Some high-calorie craft beers or sugary dessert wines can be very unhealthy. However, lighter beers or dry wines generally have fewer calories than many cocktails, but it’s still the alcohol content and sugar that determine their health impact.

Clear spirits like vodka and gin are generally considered healthier than dark liquors like whiskey and rum. This is because clear spirits contain fewer congeners, the chemical byproducts that can worsen hangovers.

Mixers have a huge impact. Using sugary sodas, juices, or syrups adds significant calories and sugar. Opting for zero-calorie mixers like soda water, diet tonic, or fresh lime can dramatically reduce the drink's negative health effects.

Congeners are chemical compounds, like tannins, that are byproducts of fermentation and aging in alcohol production. They contribute to a drink’s flavor and color but are also linked to more severe hangovers and potential long-term aging effects.

Yes, alcohol can significantly hinder weight loss. It is packed with empty calories, can stimulate your appetite, and interferes with your body's fat-burning process. Sugary, high-calorie drinks are especially problematic.

While red wine contains antioxidants like resveratrol, the potential benefits are minimal and often outweighed by the risks associated with alcohol consumption. Most health experts stress that there is no safe level of alcohol intake, and cardiovascular health can be improved through safer methods.

According to some health experts, high-proof hard liquor is the most dangerous for the liver. The liver is overwhelmed by concentrated alcohol, producing a toxic byproduct that damages liver cells and causes inflammation.